Romance of the Duelists
by Litintha
Summary: Duel Academy is recovering from the Society of Light. However, with the school year ending, will a special-type of Graduation Duel tornament awaken feelings buried inside two of Duel Academy's finest? JadenxSyrus, chapter 5 is up. Please read & review!
1. Chapter 1: Back to the Basics

**_Hello everyone!_**

**_Well, for some reason, I had a sudden urge, after watching all of GX, to make a Jaden/Syrus story. Then again, who doesn't like a good Jaden/Syrus fanfic (besides EncyclopediaDramatica). Note that I will be using dub names in this story (I need to read up more on the Japanese names. lol)._**

**_For those who are reading my other story, Megaman NT Warrior: Memories; Do not worry. This story is just a little bit of a side project, and should have no impact on the progression of Memories (my hope is that I can get away from ANOTHER round of writer's block by doing another story)._**

**_Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I hereby welcome you, the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX readers to my new story: Romance of the Duelists!_**

**_-DISCLAIMER-_**

**_Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, all characters, devices, cards, and settings that are not considered original content are solely the property of Konami, TVTokyo, and Kazuki Takahashi. This story makes no claim, stated nor implied, that any content that is not considered original content is the property of the author._**

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Chapter 1 – Back to the Basics

Syrus was standing on the deck that circled the Slifer dorm, looking out into the seemingly endless ocean beyond. There was a lot on his mind, more than there normally was. Not only was his second year as a student at Duel Academy such a tiresome one, but the events from his first year were still fresh in his mind. If anything, the events regarding the Sacred Beasts from his first year were just as fresh in his mind as the chaos that Sartorius and the Society of Light caused.

Sighing, Syrus backed away from the railing and started to walk to the front of the dorm building. It was time to go to class and he didn't want to be late. The end of the school year was coming up, which meant that there wasn't any time for slacking off, though to be fair, Syrus wasn't the one that normally slacked off. That personality trait belonged to Jaden.

Speaking of which...

As he walked around the upper-deck, Syrus past by Jaden's room. The bluenette figured that Jaden was probably inside, still sleeping in his bed. 'I wish Jay would realize that he has to go to class so he can become a senior next year. I don't want to graduate without him. I guess I should wake him up'

Walking up to the door, Syrus quietly knocked on it. 'Come on, Syrus. You know he won't hear that. Knock harder.' Trying to get himself to wake his friend up more effectively, Syrus knocked on the door much more loudly than his first attempt.

"Come on, Jaden. You don't want to be late for class"  
No answer from inside.  
"Jaden! Wake up. Class is going to start soon!"  
Still no answer. Syrus had to yell as loud as he could now.  
"JAY! WAKE UP!"

However, there was still no answer from the Slifer red beyond the door. He sighed, knowing that there was no other choice but to go inside and physically get Jaden to wake up.

Syrus juggled the door handle a little bit, only to have it break off from the rest of the door. The piece of metal fell to the ground, giving off a loud thud as it hit the wood of the deck. However, this event wasn't all that foreign to the bluenette. The Slifer Red dorm build had been falling apart for almost a year now. So, a door handle breaking off wasn't something that was totally unexpected.

'Well, at least I can get in easier than if it was locked,' Syrus thought to himself as he pushed the door open and entered the room. 'I'll tell Jay after he wakes up. Maybe we can get someone to put a new handle on.'

The room was dark, as the room normally was when Jaden was sound asleep. It took Syrus' eyes a few moments to get use to the darkness inside, hoping that it wouldn't take too long before he could see if Jaden was in his bed or not. The light that was coming from the outside didn't help, as there wasn't much sun out to begin with. Duel Academy's off-shore weather station declared that there was going to be a lot of cloud cover in it's forecast. And, sure enough, the sun had not shown through the clouds yet.

Much to the boy's surprise, he did not see Jaden anywhere inside the room. "Where did Jaden go? Did he get up for class already?" Syrus did not realize it at first, but he started thinking out loud. "Maybe Hassleberry got him up or something. I wouldn't be surprised if he got Jaden out of bed military style, with a bugle and everything..."

Finally, Syrus figured out that he was talking aloud, and with no one there to hear him. 'Well, at least I'm not answering myself. That would be bad. Guess I'll get to class. Jaden is probably just skipping class again, anyway.'

Before leaving, the bluenette wrote a quick note and stuck it on the door of Jaden's dorm room:

DOORKNOB BROKE,  
REPAIR ASAP.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"Alright, everyone. Get to your seats. That means you Slifer slackers, as well!"

Crowler was doing a lecture today on the various effects of Magic cards and how, in some circumstances, they can be more deadly than the effects of Trap cards. It was required that all of the graduating students had to listen to this lecture sometime before they graduated. However, Crowler also decided to force the underclassmen to listen to it, as well.

Syrus walked in just in a nick of time. Due to trying to wake up a non-present Jaden Yuki, he was almost late for the lecture. This forced him to run from the Slifer dorm to the main building, causing small sweat marks to appear on the underarm portion of his Ra yellow jacket.

"Now, then. Let's get this lecture started so we can get it over with!"

With a book in hand, Crowler began to give his lecture on the topic of the day. However, Syrus wasn't in much of a mood to really care what the professor had to say. He was more concerned as to why he couldn't find Jaden anywhere. Even as he was running to the main building, he was still looking in any and all possible directions for the brunette. Unfortunately, it was all in vein.

The upside to the whole ordeal was that he didn't run into Hassleberry, which means that he could ask the self-proclaimed sergeant if he knew where Jaden was. But, that thought didn't stop him from looking around the room to see if he could spot his best friend.

However, Crowler took note of Syrus being distracted.

"Syrus! Would you care to repeat what I just said?"

The sound of his name brought the boy out of his thoughts. The sound of the voice that did it also instilled a feeling of worry in him, not to mention the embarrassment of having all the other students instantaneously look in his direction. 'Oh, great...'

He could only be thankful that he didn't say that aloud.

"Well, Syrus? We are waiting on you."

The bluenette stood up, ready to face even more embarrassment when he answers incorrectly. "Y-you were talking about how..umm..while the Spellbinding Circle Trap card is effective...well...the Magic card Mystical Space Typhoon...is a great counter..." Of course it was. Syrus knew that. Every duelist knew that. Syrus sighed quietly to himself and tilted his head down, knowing that he just answered wrong, and that the laughs and ridicule would come follow.

But, he waited a few moments, and realize that there wasn't a sound from the other students. He looked up to see that Crowler had a bit of a scowl on his face. Luckily for the boy, he recognized that look on the professor's face. It was his "Scowl of Defeat." Just by looking at his face, he knew that something went right.

"...That's correct, Syrus. Sit back down."

His eyes widened in amazement as he sat back down in his seat. He knew very well that his answer was nothing short of a shot in the dark, hoping that it would be a bulls-eye. And, as fate would have it, Syrus avoided a large amount of humiliation.

At least, for now.

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"That does it for today. Now, get out of here and do whatever it is you kids do these days."

Crowler finished his lecture, dismissing the students into a passing period, which many used as a means of catching up with friends, going to the school shop to buy more booster packs, or even have a quick duel if there was enough time and it was short.

Syrus knew that this was the perfect time to find Hassleberry or Alexis, as they might know where Jaden would be. Before Crowler had dismissed the students from the lecture hall, the bluenette was able to get another look around the classroom. To his disappointment, he did not see Jaden anywhere in the hall.

"Wait up there, private! You and I need to have a talk, soldier!"

Stopping in his tracks, Syrus turned around to find Hassleberry running in his direction.

"Hey, Hassleberry. You're just the person I needed to talk to."  
"I can same the for you, Private Truesdale. I can't seem to find the sergeant anywhere."  
"Yeah, same here. I didn't see Jaden in class. I wonder where he is."  
"There ain't nothing to worry about, Private. I'll get myself a platoon together and we will find the sergeant. No man goes MIA when Tyranno Hassleberry is around!"

Before Syrus could object or even make any kind of statement, Hassleberry had already started down the hallway, at an almost sprinting pace. He sighed, knowing that when Hassleberry sets his mind to something, there wasn't any changing it. 'There really is no changing that guy's mind, is there?'

There was still one other person that he needed to talk to. And, Syrus knew just where to find her. Alexis normally hung out with a few of her Obelisk blue friends in the primary concourse of the building, just as you walk in.

However, what Syrus didn't plan on, was to bump into someone else on the way; a certain person that was dressed in all black, had black hair, and seemed to talk to invisible Ojama spirits.

Yeah. It was none other than Chazz.

Fortunately for Syrus, they were walking in opposite directions. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anything that Chazz had to dish out. He wasn't in the mood to deal with one of the most snobbish duelists he had ever met. He just...wasn't in the mood to deal with it.

Unfortunately, the hopes of not having to deal with Chazz diminished...and quickly.

"Hey, slacker. What's with that look on your face?"  
"Oh, hey, Chazz."  
"It's 'The Chazz.'"  
"Oh, right. I forgot."  
"So, are you going to spill it, or should I just keep walking?"

Syrus wasn't sure what to say. Sure, he could tell Chazz that he was concerned about Jaden being missing. Sure, he could simply just say what was on his mind, although that probably wouldn't be a good idea. However, there wasn't anything that could say that would get some kind of retort or sarcastic remark from the black-clad duelist standing in front of him.

Still, now that he was in this situation, he had to get out of it so that he could talk with Alexis.

"It's nothing, really. I-I'm just...thinking a little. That's all."

Syrus tried his best to get out of the situation, but Chazz wasn't buying into it. "Oh, really? Is that so? Well, it must be something depressing, since you can't seem to even get a smile on your face. Now, spill it. I don't want to have to deal with you crying at some point."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. 'Well...I guess I have to...'

"...It's Jaden. He wasn't in his dorm this morning, and he wasn't in class, either. I'm worried that something may have happened to him. I already checked his normal napping places, but..."

Syrus was interrupted by Chazz, who was more than annoyed at words that came out of the bluenette. "Oh, him? I saw him on the other side of the island doing some fishing, not far from the Obelisk Blue dorm." Syrus was actually shocked that Chazz was being helpful, and to him of all people.

Amidst his feelings of shock, Syrus remembered something about Chazz that didn't seem to piece everything that was said together.

"Chazz, wait. How do you know Jaden is over there?"  
"Duh, because I saw him. What? Is my word not good enough for you?"  
"No, it's not that. It's just...you are still a Slifer Red. Why where you at the Obelisk Blue dorm?"

Chazz immediately turned his head, trying to hide his now blushing face. Why was he over there? Because he wanted to catch Alexis leaving the dorm and walk with her to class. But, he couldn't let Syrus know that. He couldn't let anyone know that.

"Well, I was...just..umm...WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?"  
"Chazz, calm down. You don't want to yell at me. I was just asking, that's all."  
"Yeah? Well, The Chazz answers to no one. Just find Jaden so I don't have to deal with anymore of your whining."

And, with that, Chazz turned tail and started walking in his initial direction. 'Who does that slacker think he is, interrogating me like that? I'm The Chazz. You don't go around asking all kinds of questions pertaining to The Chazz!'

"Wow, boss! You helped Syrus out! You're so kind!"

Chazz was brought of his thoughts by the most annoying voice he could ever hear. It was the only voice he knew of that was even more annoying than Crowler, Jaden, and Syrus combined. It was even above the sound that is made when nails are scratched across a chalkboard.

It was the voice of Ojama Yellow.

"He sure is. Who knew the boss had such a kind heart?" Ojama Green soon appeared.  
"I did! You can see it in every single work he speaks!" Ojama Black finally chimed in.

Chazz, however, was not amused in the least by the appearance of his monster spirits. Without even a hint of warning, he brought his hand in front of him and slapped them together, sandwiches the three Ojamas right in the middle. "Keep your traps such for once!"

Syrus heard Chazz yelling and turned around. Sure enough, he saw the former Obelisk Blue student yelling at what looked like his hands, at least from a normal persons perspective. However, after everything that had happened over the past 2 years, he knew better than that. 'He's arguing with his Ojamas again...'

Knowing that Chazz was ok, Syrus started running out of the building, determined to find Jaden.

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**_Ahh, there we go! Got the first chapter done in one sitting! Perhaps this means that my writer's block is coming to a close? Who knows! I sure hope it is!_**

**_I'll make sure I keep close tabs on this story. You have my word that I won't let it rot due to me having another active story. This one will also be finished (when it will, however, is yet to be determined)!_**

**_See you next chapter!_**


	2. Chapter 2: Brainstorming

**_Hello, everyone!_**

**_It's Chapter 2 time! The title may be a little misleading at first. However, as the chapter progresses, you will see why I choose the name._**

**_Anyway, like always, if you ever want to talk to me, just shoot me a PM from my profile! I will be more than happy to chat back!_**

**_Without further delay, here is Chapter 2!_**

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Chapter 2 – Brainstorming

Just like it was when he went to class, Syrus noticed that the sky was still quite overcast. The sun was barely able to break through the thick cloud cover the entire morning. And, now that it was the afternoon, the fact that the sun hadn't been out all day made for a very depressing mood. The bluenette could only be thankful that it hadn't started raining yet. However, considering the current weather conditions, he kept getting a feeling that the sky could open up at any moment.

Still, he continued running on his way. He couldn't help but keep thinking about where Chazz had found Jaden. 'Why would Jaden be all the way out there? He could just fish out by his dorm.' Syrus wasn't aware of it yet, but he had started referring to the Slifer dorm as being Jaden's, since Syrus himself was no longer a Slifer Red, but now a Ra Yellow. He hadn't actually slept in the Slifer dorm since a week after the Society of Light incident.

If he could, Syrus would sigh. However, with his current running, he couldn't spare the breath to do so. Instead, he just kept running, hoping that Jaden had not moved from that spot since that morning.

Still, the thought of Jaden skipping a class wasn't exactly a new concept to the bluenette.

Rounding the last corner on the dirt road, Syrus finally saw the Obelisk Blue dorm only a short distance away. He knew that Jaden wouldn't actually be fishing at the dorm. The students from the Obelisk dorm would have given him a hard time, or even tried to kick him off of the grounds. Even after they were released from the Society of Light by Jaden's efforts, they still held true to their mentality that the color of their jacket showed their superiority.

Syrus was beginning to breathe heavily. 'I can't run much longer. I hope I find Jay soon.'

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"Hmmm...even though there is no sun, this is still relaxing."

With his fishing pole in hand, and a bucket nearly full of fish, Jaden sat at the bottom of a cliff not too far from the Obelisk Blue dorm. He wasn't much in the mood to have bothered going to class that day. The look of the weather told him that today wasn't going to be a great day. So, his thought it best not to spoil what little fun there was by studying, and just went out to get some fishing done.

Besides, the Slifer dorm was running low on fish to eat, anyway.

A sound was heard around himself. Jaden smiled at the sound. The high-pitched sound was all too familiar to him, and he had grown to like it. "Yeah, Kuriboh. Today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's actually been pretty sweet."

A translucent image of the brown-colored Duel Monster appeared beside Jaden's head, floating in mid-air. As it appeared, it made another sound. At first, nothing happened afterwards. However, a few moments later, Jaden smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah. This should be enough fish for a week."

"JADEN!"

Both Jaden and Winged Kuriboh looked in the direction of the sound. Jaden and the monster spirit knew who that voice belonged to. Just like Kuriboh, the voice was high-pitched. And it, too, was a voice that Jaden had come to like, especially since the voice came from his best friend on Duel Academy Island.

It was the voice of Syrus Truesdale.

"Jaden! There you are!"

The brunette looked at the bluenette that was running down a slope that lead to the spot that he was relaxing on. Jaden could tell that Syrus was exhausted. 'He must have run all the way here from the main building. Syrus...' he smiled inward, thinking that, even though him and Syrus were the best of friends, the shorter of the two was the one that always seemed to worry much more than the other.

"Right here, Sy. What's the rush?"

Syrus had to take a moment to catch his breath. All the running he did was making it difficult to catch a breath long enough to speak. "Jaden! That...big lecture was...today, and you missed...it! How can you be...so calm?"

"Ha, ha. Don't worry, Sy. I'm sure it was stuff I already know."  
"But, Jaden! Professor...Crowler made it required for even...the underclassmen!"  
"I'm sure I can hear it another day. Besides, it's a lecture. I would probably fall asleep, anyway."

The amount of confidence that spewed from Jaden's voice never seemed to not surprise Syrus. It seemed that, even when in the face of danger, even when faced with near impossible odds, even when faced with having to battle for his own or his friend's lives, Jaden always remained confident, and never once had doubts about anything; no doubts about his abilities, no doubts in his deck, and no doubts in the outcome of the battle.

Now, it was Syrus who was smiling inward, an occurrence that did not happen very often. He doubted himself too much, and there were rarely times when he would actually believe in himself. It was a mystery to even him on how he managed to become a Ra Yellow.

Finally catching his breath, Syrus spoke once again. "Jaden...have you been here this entire time?"

"Of course, Sy."  
"But, why? Well...what I mean is...why are you fishing all the way out here?"  
"It's a better fishing spot than by the Red dorm."  
"B-but...we are surrounded by water. How can one spot be better than the other?"  
"Don't ask me. It's just a feeling. And, look..."

Jaden motioned to the bucket of fish he had caught, and Syrus looked at it. He was surprised at the amount of fish that were in it. He could see several different kinds: Carp, bluegill, grouper, and even some tuna. The bluenette hadn't seen Jaden catch so much fish. Then again, he has never known Jaden to spend this much time fishing.

Bringing himself back into the moment, Syrus spoke again. "Wow, Jay. You got that much fish?"

"Yeah. It should be enough for a week at our dorm."  
"...our dorm?"  
"Well, yeah Sy. Your and my dorm."

Wait...had Jaden not even noticed that Syrus wasn't even sleeping in the Slifer Red dorm for the past 3 weeks? No...Jaden may have been oblivious to some things, but Syrus knew that he would notice something like that. 'He must know...I hope.'

"Umm...Jay...you do know that I haven't slept in the Red dorm for almost a month, right?"  
"Of course I do, Syrus."  
"Then...why are you saying that your dorm is also my dorm? I am a Ra Yellow."  
"Sy...you of all people should know that the color of your jacket doesn't separate people. It's just a jacket with a color."  
"Jaden..."

The brunette simply stood up and gave his best friend his normal smile. "Besides, you started out in Slifer Red and, to me, it will always be your dorm, too."

His last comment made Syrus want to start crying. Never in his life had he had a friend like Jaden; carefree, kind, compassionate...not even his own brother was like this. His brother was such a cold person to him, even when they were kids. And, those feelings of resentment that Zane had for Syrus only grew more now that he fell into the state he was in...that dreadful state of, for lack of a better word, evil.

It really made Syrus feeling like he was someone special with the way Jaden treated him. It made him feel that he was worth the brunette's time and energy.

"There you two are."

Both of the boys looked in the direction of the voice. As luck would have it, it was Alexis. Jaden was the first to speak to her out of the pair.

"Oh, hey Alexis. What brings you out here?"  
"Well, I had to get your location out of Chazz. It wasn't easy, you know."  
"Chazz knows we are here? That's weird."  
"Not really. He was by the Obelisk dorm early this morning, waiting for me. But, he was out of luck, since I left earlier than normal. Anyway, he saw you out here and let Syrus know. I knew he would come find you."

Jaden was a little confused, a feeling that wasn't in the least foreign to him. 'Was Chazz actually being kind when he told Sy that? That's strange.' Both Syrus and Alexis could see that Jaden's attention was diverting away from the moment, which could only mean that he was lost in thought.

However, Syrus spoke soon after. "Yeah. Chazz told me you were here, Jay, only so that I wouldn't 'have to deal with my whining'. I thought it was really mean of him to say that." Syrus tried to imitate Chazz's voice when he quoted the other student. This got a laugh out of both Jaden and Alexis, who finally made it to the bottom of the slope and joined the two boys.

"So, aside from you skipping class, Jaden, what ideas do you have for the Graduation Duel?"  
"Huh? What are you talking about, Alexis?"  
"Come on. Don't be so modest, Jaden."  
"Honestly, Alexis. I don't know what you are talking about."

Just then, Alexis realized that Jaden had been out here the entire day, most likely missing the announcement that Principle Shepard made before all classes were let out for the day. At that moment, she felt silly for asking Jaden the question. Then again, she also felt that Syrus probably knew, and didn't say anything to Jaden about it.

Syrus, on the other hand, did not know anything about the announcement, either. "Alexis, what do you mean? Are they already choosing which students are going to duel," Syrus asked the Obelisk girl. Both he and Jaden were perplex at her question. 'I hope they don't pick me. I don't want to embarrass myself...'

"That's right. You've been out here, right Jaden?"  
"Well, yeah. All day, just catching fish."  
"Sorry, I thought you heard the announcement."  
"What announcement?"

"Yeah, Alexis. What announcement?" Syrus' comment only served to enforce the question that Jaden had already asked. Both of the boys were now curious as to what this announcement that Alexis had mention was.

Alexis, realizing that neither of them heard it, knew that she had to explain it. "Well, the faculty of the school couldn't think of anything to make the Graduation Duel this year interesting," Alexis began. She had to try and keep this as short as possible.

"So, in order to get some ideas, they announced that student ideas for the Graduation Duel would be considered. The idea that they consider to be the best will be the one that the Graduation Duel will based around."

Syrus was a little shocked at the news. He didn't think that the faculty of the school were in such a need for ideas. He thought that, as far as the Graduation Duel was concerned, it would have been like last year where the top-graded student is a guaranteed participant, and they get to choose who they opponent would be. But this...this was something that totally different.

On the flip side, Jaden was completely excited about it, and didn't hide it. "That's sweet! I can't wait to see what others think up. I better get back to my room and start thinking!" Without another word, Jaden ran up the slope and off into the distance, completely forgetting about his bucket of fish in the process. Alexis snicker to herself. 'That Jaden...always getting excited at the smallest of things.'

Standing next to her, Syrus wasn't sure if he liked the idea or not. Sure, he could possibly think of a good idea, but he had never really thought of a good idea for something like this in the past. In fact, the last time he had a good idea, it completely backfired on him, and his brother remained the way he was...his now dark self. It was bad enough that he thought it was a good idea, but to actually fail at it made the bluenette even more upset over it, not to mention even more unsure of himself than he had ever been. That one dueled really changed his view when it came to his own ideas.

'I better just let Jaden and the other think of something good...'

~~!~~  
~~!~~

Jaden had made it back to the Slifer Red dorm faster than he thought he. He was excited, so excited to the point where the adrenaline in his body just would not let him slow down. Even as he finally got to his room at the dorm, he couldn't slow his heartbeat down enough to relax.

Luckily, the feeling didn't last very long. After he overcame his initial excitement, he was able to concentrate more on what kind of idea he could come up with. 'Let's see...what should the Graduation Duel be like. Hmm...'

As he was thinking, someone opened the door to his room and just walked right in. It was Hassleberry. "There you are, Sergeant! I was afraid that you had gone MIA on me!"

"Hey there, Hassleberry. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."  
"I wasn't worry. However, Private Truesdale was the one who was worried."  
"I figured as much. He found me before I came running back here."  
"That brings up a question: Where were you? My search party couldn't find you in the main facility."  
"Oh, that. I was fishing by the Blue dorm."  
"Fishing in enemy territory? Why is tarnation would you do that?"  
"Because I can catch more fish over there. I can't really explain why. But, just take a look at..."

It was then that Jaden realized that he forgot his bucket back at the bottom of the cliff. "Oh, man! I totally forgot the fish bucket back at the spot!" He couldn't believe that he forgot the bucket with this coming week's food in it. He could feel is face getting hot, signaling that he was going to be blushing out of embarrassment soon.

"Wait, you caught a large bounty of fish, and then forgot the bucket? How will we manage our rations for this week, then?"  
"I wouldn't worry about it, Hassleberry. I'm sure we will think of something...at least I hope we will."

Just then, his luck would change. Syrus came into the room, carrying the bucket of fish. "Jay! You forgot this back there." The brunette looked at the bluenette and smiled. 'Thank goodness I have Syrus to look out for my mistakes.'

"Thanks, Syrus. That was a huge help!"

Syrus was still trying to catch his breath, but noticed that Hassleberry scoffed at him the shortest of the boys. "I could have gotten those fish here faster for the Sergeant." His comment really cut into Syrus, who soon retorted.

"Hey, I didn't ask for your opinion! And, I didn't see you at the bottom of the cliff where I found Jay!"  
"What did you say, Private?"  
"I said that your search party was worthless!"  
"Worthless? I'll have you Court Marshaled for this insubordination!"

Their argument was getting more and more heated. Ever since Hassleberry claimed Jaden as being his best friend, Syrus had done whatever he could in order to prove the dino-duelist wrong. But, this wasn't anything to worry about. When the chips were down, both Hassleberry and Syrus looked out for each other, even to the point where one could even see them as being best friends.

But, Jaden knew he had to break it up soon. It wouldn't be long before more stuff was said. "Hey, guys. You don't need to argu..." Jaden was cut short by the other two, who shouted at him, in unison, "BACK OFF!" The brunette sweat-dropped, knowing that this wasn't going to end well.

"Private! As your commander, I order you to keep that tone of voice down!"  
"Don't try to pull that on me, RECRUIT!"  
"...Recruit? RECRUIT? Do I look like some slack-jawed recruit?"  
"If you don't think you are, then how about we throw down, right here, right now?"

And, there it was. The challenge to a duel. Jaden had been exacting one of the two to make the challenge, but he didn't imagine that it would be Syrus who would challenge Hassleberry. If anything, the brunette thought it would be Hassleberry that would have challenged Syrus.

But, despite what he was thinking, the argument continued between the other two boys.

"I accept! My dinosaurs will tear apart your little machines and stomp-out your Life Points!"  
"Don't underestimate my deck! You Life Points would be gone before you even touched mine!"  
"Don't make me laugh. Even if I had 2,000 Life Points, you would still be defeated by my deck!"

Suddenly, something in Jaden's head turned on. '2,000 Life Points...2,000 Life Points...' That last statement of Hassleberry seemed to have given Jaden an idea for the Graduation Duel. "I've got it!"

The outburst from Jaden caused Hassleberry and Syrus to momentary put their argument on pause. They both looked at the hero-duelist, both with perplexed looks on their faces. They weren't sure what the outburst was for, but one of them had to ask Jaden, or else the suspense would have killed them both.

Syrus, being the more curious of the two, spoke. "What, Jay? What do you have?"  
Hassleberry spoke after. "Yeah, Sergeant. What are you yelling about?"

Jaden looked at them both and smiled. "I have an idea for the Graduation Duel!"

~~!~~  
~~!~~

**_And, there we go, everyone! Chapter 2 is done!_**

**_Not much else to say at the end here, other than I have a feeling that this story is going to be a good one. Then again, as the author, I may be a little bias on that point. LOL!_**

**_As always, make sure you leave a review if you have the chance or you see that it is warranted!_**

**_Anyway, I will see you all in Chapter 3!_**


	3. Chapter 3: The Results

**_Hey, everyone!_**

**_Been working hard on this story, if you couldn't tell! 3 Chapters in such a short amount of time is really something, amirite? Hehe. Well, anyway. Back to the topic at hand._**

**_As always, if you wish to have a chat with be about pretty much anything, just visit my profile and shoot me a Private Message! I guarantee that you will get a response from me!_**

**_Welcome to Chapter 3: The Results!_**

~~!~~  
~~!~~

Chapter 3 – The Results

Both Hassleberry and Syrus turned their full attention to Jaden, who, out of seemingly nowhere, blurting out that he had an idea, which was a rarity in it's own right.

"What kind of idea, Jaden?"  
"Yeah, Listen to your troops, Sergeant. What kind of idea?"

Both Hassleberry and Syrus exchanged glares, each of them believing Jaden to their their own best friend. Neither of the two believed that Jaden's friendship could be shared between them, not to mention the position of "best friend" for the brunette. For Syrus and Hassleberry, it was a constant struggle to gander the attention and friendship of the Slifer. Still, even with their constant bickering, deep down, they both knew that they were all on the same page, and no person's friendship was more valuable than the other one.

Finally having their undivided attention, Jaden spoke up. "Well, it was actually Hassleberry's statement that made me think of this. But, it's a really sweet idea!" Both Hassleberry and the bluenette next to him were still perplexed as to what the idea was. Jaden still hadn't said what it was.

However, the dino duelist took note of what Jaden had said. "You hear that, private? MY statement gave the Sergeant his idea. That proves that I am his wingman!"

"I've been through more with Jaden than you, Hassleberry!"  
"The past means nothing, Truesdale. It's the present that matters!"

"Guys, knock it off, will ya?" Jaden couldn't take it anymore, at least for the moment. The fighting from the two Ra Yellows was starting to drive the Slifer Red insane. There was only so much of their arguing that he could take before it just had to stop.

"Sorry, Jaden." Syrus lowered his head a little bit.  
"My apologies, Sergeant." Hassleberry stood up straight.

"No sweat, guys. Just chill a little bit more." Both Hassleberry and Syrus took a seat in the room, both of them sitting on the two chairs in the room. Jaden, on the other hand, took a seat on his bed.

It was quiet for a few moments. No one spoke a word. No sound was heard. All three of them had forgotten why they were getting so worked up in the first place. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Syrus spoke up. "So, Jay. You had an idea?"

Jaden's eyes seemed to flash, giving off a moment of deja vu. "Oh, yeah. That's right. It's a really sweet idea." Both Hassleberry and Syrus looked and listened to the Slifer Red intently.

"Well, I was thinking about what kind of idea I wanted, then Hassleberry mentioned something about starting his duel against you with 2,000 Life Points. Then, it hit me. How about a tournament using a different set of rules than now?"

Hassleberry and Syrus looked at the brunette, then at each other, then back to Jaden, then back to each other again. They were interested in the idea, but were wondering what kind of ruleset he was talking about. They had never heard of duels starting with 2,000 Life Points, not until Jaden just mentioned it. The bluenette and dino-duelist were looking at each other, trying to find an answer in the other. However, their question remained unsolved.

Jaden continued. "Well, I figured a really cool ruleset for the tournament would be to modify how dueling was played. In other words, the tournament would use the same ruleset that Mr. Pegasus used during Duelist Kingdom."

The bluenette was starting to understand where the Slifer Red was coming from. He had read about the Duelist Kingdom tournament that happened a little more than 10 years ago. It was the tournament that Yugi Mutou won, where he was pronounced "King of Games." Of course, that was all before the creation of the Battle City Tournament by Seto Kaiba not too long after.

Syrus was going to say something, but Hassleberry spoke first. "What? You mean to tell me that you want to change the rules of dueling? The other duelists here would have a hard time trying to adapt to such a radical change!" Jaden could tell that the was, not only a bit of uncertainty in Hassleberry's voice, but also quite a lot of anger. Jaden couldn't tell why he was getting so upset over the idea. 'I guess he likes things the way they are,' Jaden thought, trying not to smile in the process.

"I think it's a great idea, Jay! I'm sure the chancellor will like it."  
"Are you insane, Truesdale? No one will go for that idea!"  
"What? You don't think it is good? Some friend of Jaden's you are!"

The brunette sighed, trying to tune out the argument between the Ra Yellows. It was becoming very tiresome to hear the two of them constantly fighting with one another over who was this or who was that. 'It's only a matter of time before they Duel. I guess I should go submit my idea.'

As the Ra Yellows continued to fight with their words, Jaden snuck out of the room.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"Wow! There's so many ideas posted here!"

A bulletin board was posted in the main concourse of the Duel Academy building, containing all of the ideas that students had concocted and put up as suggestions for the Graduation Duel. Still, Jaden was sure that his idea was going to be the one that Chancellor Sheppard and the rest of the faculty would choose. 'There's no way these other ideas can stand to mine. I've got it in the bag.'

"And, just what you doing here, slacker?"

Jaden turned around to see Chazz standing behind him. "Hey, Chazz. Why are you here?"

"It's _The_ Chazz."  
"Right, Sorry."  
"I'm here to put my suggestion in. I'm sure it will be better than all the others from these losers."  
"I don't know, Chazz. They all look really good."  
"Oh, yeah? Well, I don't see yours up there, slacker."  
"I haven't put it up, yet. Give a moment."

Having said that, Jaden walked up to the bulletin board and picked up a marker. Finding a spot on the board, Jaden finally wrote his suggestion. It read, "Tournament with Duelist Kingdom ruleset. -Jaden Yuki." Satisfied with his suggestion, Jaden set the marker down and let another student use it. He also momentarily heard a high-pitched sound from his deck. 'Yeah, Kuriboh. It is a great idea.'

"Hahahaha! You call THAT an idea?" Chazz had been looking over Jaden's shoulder the whole time, which he did not notice until the former Obelisk Blue spoke up. "That has got to be the lamest idea on this board. Only a Slifer slacker could have thought of it."

However, Jaden was quick to point out the obvious. "Chazz, you are still a Slifer Red, remember?" The other duelist suddenly remembered that he was, a flush of embarrassment came over him, almost causing his face to turn red. Thankfully, his quick wit, if you want to call it that, kicked in. "I said Slifer slacker. Hate to disappoint you, loser, but I am no slacker."

Making his own way to the bulletin board, Chazz grabbed a marker and started writing his own suggestion down. It was at that point that the most annoying of people showed up.

"So, boss. What's your idea?"  
"I bet it has something to do with dueling!"  
"Of course it does. It has to be a duel tournament!"

Chazz gripped the marker in his hand rather hard, knowing that his Ojamas had finally decided to show up, as well as putting in their input on the situation. It was input and commentary that Chazz was not fond of, and found to be unbearably annoying more than helpful.

Trying not to talk back to them, Chazz simply used the fingers on his free hand to quickly flick the Ojamas off of his shoulder, causing them to disappear in a poof, returning to their cards in his deck.

Then, he finally continued writing what he had intended to write in the first place.

When he finished, he took a step back from the board, allowing other students in the area room to add their suggestions, as well as letting others see what he had wrote. Jaden was no exception. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, like it normally did, and he had to see what Chazz wrote on the board.

Making his way to the front he read what his rival had wrote. The first thing he noticed was how much room it took up on the board. It was at least twice the size of what he wrote. It read, "Dueling Tournament of Love. Winner gets a date with student chosen by vote. -The Chazz."

Jaden just stared at the suggestion for several moments, blinking a few times, trying to comprehend what exactly Chazz was trying to get at. It was no secret that Chazz was madly in love with Alexis, but Jaden couldn't help but think that the black-clothed student's suggestion was nothing more than a ploy to allow himself to score a date with Alexis.

Still, he decided to just play dumb for the moment in order to see what exactly Chazz was up to.

"A tournament of love? Wow, Chazz. I never imagined you to have a soft side. Haha."  
"And, just what do you think is funny about it? It's just an idea I had."  
"Of course it was, Chazz."  
"_THE_ Chazz!"

In a fit of anger and detest, Chazz stormed out of the concourse. With him out of sight, Jaden finally let out a laugh that he had been holding in for a long time. A few people standing around in the concourse looked in his direction, but many paid his laughing fit no mine and continued on.

Finally getting over his laughing fit, Jaden turned around and started to just wander around the concourse of the building. Many of the students were standing around and talking with their friends, a few were trading cards to strengthen their decks, and there were even some that were tossing out some trash talk before what looked like duels beginning to start. All of this, to Jaden, just seemed like a normal day at Duel Academy. It was a life that he was use to, even after the Society of Light and battle with the Sacred Beasts.

"JAAADEN!"

The all-too-familiar voice of Syrus rung out in the area. Jaden turned to the doors to see his the bluenette running towards him, followed closely by Hassleberry. 'I guess they finally realized that I let them to settle their argument on their own.' Jaden laughed inward. Even as Syrus was running out of breath, he still managed to yell out his name.

Syrus stopped in front of Jaden, trying to catch his breath as best he could. "Jaden! Why did you...just leave us like...that?"

"Well, you and Hassleberry were just arguing. I figured I shouldn't get in the way."  
"You could have said something, Jay!"  
"Don't worry about it, Sy. I just came down here to put my idea in."  
"Really? You did that already?"

"Of course he did, Truesdale!" Hassleberry finally chimed in, apparently after just catching his breath, as well. "He knows that he has to keep his priorities straight, and putting his suggestion in first and foremost to his superiors is a great mark of responsibly. Every platoon needs a commanding officer like that."

Syrus got a flare of jealousy inside of him. He really disliked the way that Hassleberry portrayed Jaden to be his commanding officer, in a weird army sort of way. He kept acting as if Jaden and him had known each other since they were little kids. Now, Syrus did admit to himself that he hadn't known Jaden much longer than Hassleberry, only by a year, at most. However, he tried not to make such a big deal about it. It wasn't until Hassleberry showed up that the bluenette knew that he had to deal with someone else claiming Jaden as their best friend.

He tried not hang his head low. Syrus knew that both Jaden and Hassleberry would notice that. Thankfully, Alexis showed up and joined the group in their conversation. "Hey, guys. What's going on?"

"Nothing really, Alexis."  
"What do you mean 'nothing', Sergeant! You just posted your idea for the Graduation Duel!"  
"Come on, Hassleberry. Half the school did, as well. It's nothing special."

"Really? You thought of an idea already, Jaden?" Alexis went over to the bulletin board, searching around for the idea that Jaden had thought of. She skimmed over a few of them, reaching Jaden's idea before long. She read over the suggestion, then smiled as she turned away from the board. "That's a great idea, Jaden. I think it's the best one there is!"

"Aww, come on, Alexis. It's not that great."  
"Yeah, it is. It's even better than my idea."  
"Really? What was your idea?"  
"Oh, nothing much, just a tournament where the winner got promoted to the next dorm level."

Hassleberry heard the suggestion. "Now that there is still a good suggestion, Alexis. There is no reason in the world why you shouldn't put that up on the board. Who knows? Sheppard might like it."

Suddenly, for whatever reason, Jaden remembered something. "Oh, yeah. Chazz was just here. He put up a suggestion, as well."

The others looked at Jaden with interested expressions on their faces. They thought that Chazz was someone that didn't really have an interest in these kind of things. Still, they figured that his suggestion might have been something worth taking a look at. The three students, aside from Jaden, went to the bulletin board and started searching for the former Obelisk Blue's idea. Syrus was quick to spot it. "Here it is."

They stared the suggestion, trying to digest the words and process what exactly he was suggesting...

Then suddenly, out what seemed like nowhere, both Syrus and Hassleberry began to laugh almost uncontrollably. "Wow. I had no idea Chazz was such a softie!"

"Got that right, Private! That has got to be some kind of joke!"  
"If Sheppard sees that the idea is from Chazz, I'm sure he would laugh so hard!"

"Just imagine it. 'Oh, It's from Chazz. That's so funny!' Haha!" Hassleberry did his best Chancellor Sheppard impression as he said that. This got a little bit of a giggle out of Alexis, who did find the impression funny. "Come on, guys. It's just an idea, just like all the others ones up there." The queen of the Obelisk Blue dorm attempted to quiet down the two laughing Ra Yellows.

However, it was not Alexis who would calm them down, or even the one who would break up the argument. "What is all that racket? Can't you slacker's see that people are trying to think here?"

The four students looked around to see Professor Crowler approaching them. "I swear. There are times when I really do question why you slackers were even accepted in this prestigious academy."

"We're sorry, Professor. It's just that Chazz's suggestion was really funny." Jaden attempted to take the fault for the disruption that Syrus and Hassleberry had caused. He figured that he was the one that Crowler was after, anyway. So, this would be the perfect time for the professor to aim all of his frustrations at the Slifer Red. It wasn't as if this was something new. Besides, Jaden was already a master of tuning Crowler out if the situation called for it, which was mostly in class.

Crowler had his normal scowl on his face. "Well, see to it that you keep it down next time, Jaden. I don't want to get any complaints about you disrupting my students again." With that, Crowler continued on his way through the concourse and to one of the wings of the school. However, before he left, he made a small announcement to the students in the area.

"Just so you all know, the faculty will be determining which idea to use soon. We will announce the results tomorrow morning before noon. Make sure you don't dilly dally!" Crowler finished his statement, disappearing into the corridor and out of sight.

The concourse was relatively quiet after that. However, Jaden looked outside and saw that the sun was already setting. He knew that could only mean one thing...

"Oh, right! It's almost time for dinner! I better head back to the dorm!"

Before anyone else could say anything, Jaden went into a sprint, running quickly out the front door and disappearing from sight as the door closed behind him. Syrus just looked in the direction of the doors, still amazed at how fast his best friend ran when he knew that there was food on the line.

'He really does let his stomach run his life.' Syrus quietly laughed to himself.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"Come on, Jaden! We can't miss the announcement!"  
"Get a move on, Sergeant!"

Just like most days, Jaden had slept in too late. Both Hassleberry and Syrus knew that the announcement for the Graduation Duel was going to be coming soon. Many of the students of the academy had already gathered inside the school, either in classrooms, corridors, or in the main concourse. Many of them had put in suggestions and were anxiously waiting to hear the results of the faculty's pick.

He brunette was still in bed, above all things. He hadn't even had a chance to get out of bed and hit the showers before class. But, he still was able to yell loud enough for the Ra Yellows outside to hear him. "Just five more minutes."

Syrus knew that this wasn't going to end well. He knew, deep down inside, that Jaden would not wake up unless there was something that he wanted to do, be it dueling, eating, or saving the world. Either way, hearing the announcement for which idea was getting picked for the Graduation Duel wasn't something that he would get out of bed for.

So, in order to get the Slifer out of bed, Syrus had to think of something. "Jaden! Help! There's a member of the Society of Light that wants to duel against you!" The bluenette made sure that he yelled that as loud as he could, hoping it would wake the Slifer up. Hassleberry, however, wasn't impressed with Syrus' attempt.

"Just what do you think that will accomplish, Truesdale?"  
"I didn't see you think of anything! Besides, we need to wake Jaden up, anyway."  
"Even he knows that blasted Society of Light is done and over with. What good will your shouting about it do?"  
"Well...It was an idea! All we can do now is..."

Syrus was cut off as the door swung open and smacked him in the face. The force the impact made him fall straight to the ground, all the while covering his face. He was still able to hear Jaden yell as he ran out. "Where are there? I'll taken them. Time to get my game on!"

However, as Jaden looked around, the only person in sight was Hassleberry. "Wait...I heard Sy yelling? Where is he, Hassleberry?" The dino duelist simply pointed to the ground behind the door, motioning for Jaden to take a look. Low and behold, as he looked around the door, there was Syrus, sitting on the ground and holding his face.

"Sy? What happened? Did that Society of Light member hit you or something?"  
"NO! It was you, Jay! You opened the door in my face!"  
"I did? Sorry about that, Syrus. Want me to take you to the nurse?"  
"I'll be fine..."

Jaden looked around the area, still wondering where the Society of Light member was. He scanned down the dirt road, around the dorm, and even looked in the direction of the forest. However, it soon dawned on him...he had already defeated the Society of Light when he dueled Sartorius.

He looked at Hassleberry, then at Syrus. "You tricked me, Syrus!"

"Hey! It was the only way to wake you up!"  
"Did you even consider trying to just yell?"  
"That's what I did at first!"  
"Well...why did you wake me up, anyway?"

Jaden let out a yawn, hoping that he could just go back to sleep in due time. However, the Ra Yellows standing in front of him were not going to make it that easy for him. Without warning, they both grabbed Jaden by his arms and started dragging him off of the dorm's deck, down the stairs, and then along the dirt path leading up to the school. "Let's get a move on, troops! Our superiors will be making their announcement soon!"

It was then that Jaden realized what exactly they woke him up for, and, to be honest, he was annoyed by it. 'If my idea was picked, I could have just heard it later in the day. I don't need to be awake for it, right?' He found himself asking the question in his head. Luckily, he didn't answer himself.

Gaining his balance from the abrupt dragging, Jaden finally got on his feet and started walking on his own.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

The main concourse of the building was completely abuzz. There were many students in the area, all waiting for the announcement to be made over the intercom system. Most were expecting the winning idea to be some kind of tournament, while others had envisioned the winning idea to be just a one-on-one duel against two people chosen at random.

The three boys entered the concourse, scanning the area. The three of them could see that it was extremely busy. A lot of noise was being generated from the shear amount of students who were in the area.

"Wow. I didn't think that there would be this many people in here." Jaden spoke first, quite loudly.  
"Yeah. It's almost like a madhouse. There's so many students." Syrus got his input heard.  
"That's a 10-4, troops. It's busier in here than a new recruit barracks." Hassleberry yelled, as well.

Even with the three of them yelling near the top of their lungs, it was still hard to hear each other over the constant yelling and talking of all the other students in the concourse. There were just too many students in the area for the three of them to even have a decent conversation with each other. All of their words just seemed to be get completely drowned out by all of the other voices from the other students, some louder than the others.

"Hey, guys!"

Syrus turned around, as he seemed to be the only one that really had good enough ears to have even heard someone yelling for them. As he turned to his left, he saw Alexis and Atticus.

He quickly turned to Jaden and Hassleberry to let them know two of their friends were on their way. The other two turned around and met their faces with that of Alexis and her older brother.

"Alexis, Atticus. What's up?"  
"We just got here. I can't believe how loud it is."

Their conversation was cut short when someone with a really loud and heavily accented voice talked over all the other students in the concourse. "Excusez-moi, Mesdames and Messieurs. Chancellor Sheppard will be making his announcement soon." The students turned their attention to the source of the voice, and their eyes became fixated on Vice Chancellor Bonaparte.

The stout man stood in front of the large crowd, attempting to get the attention of everyone there. "That's right, students. Keep your voices down if you want to find out who the winner is." Vice-Chancellor Crowler soon joined Bonaparte at the front of the crowd. Almost immediately, the students quieted down to almost a whisper, eagerly awaiting Chancellor Sheppard's announcement over the P.A. System to be made.

But still, students were still chatting amongst themselves. Luckily, they were only whispers or speaking in their "in-door" voices. And, Jaden and his friends were no exception.

"So, who do think will win?" Jaden spoke, not loud enough to have been heard by Bonaparte or Crowler, but not soft enough to be a whisper. He never was really one for talking softly. Even his snoring in the classroom was loud.

"It's hard to say. There are a lot of good suggestions. But, I hope mine wins," Atticus said, pulling out his ukulele and strumming a tune. Alexis turned to her brother, giving him a slightly annoyed, but interested look. "And, just what did you suggest?"

"Well, little sis. I suggested that those who are chosen by the faculty duel it out, and the winner does a performance in front of the whole school. It will be a great spectacle to behold!"

Alexis, still knowing that her brother was up to his usual antics, simply heaved a sigh. "You're hopeless." Atticus simply smiled and continued strumming his ukelele. The other three boys standing there found Alexis' usual reaction to still be just as amusing as it normally was. Sure, Alexis and Atticus were brother and sister, but, at times, they seemed to be worlds apart. Syrus was about to speak, when...

A loud voice was heard all over the school.

"Good morning, my students. This is your Chancellor speaking." All of the students in the building went completely silent. Unlike what Bonaparte and Crowler did, Chancellor Sheppard got complete silence from the students.

"As you all know, the faculty of the school was looking for some fresh and inventive ideas for this year's Graduation Duel. We left a bulletin board in the main concourse for student's to record their ideas. Yesterday, we collected the bulletin board and went over the ideas." All of the students, Slifer, Ra, and Obelisk alike, were teeming with excitement as they awaited to hear the winner.

Sheppard continued. "This morning, at a faculty meeting, we choose three of the best ideas, then finally narrowed it down to the final winner. I will let you all know that it was a very tough decision to make. However, we believe that this choice was the best of the bunch."

Some students couldn't contain their excitement any longer. They were all eager to hear the final part of the announcement. And, their answer came not too long after as Chancellor Sheppard finished. "This year, the Graduation Duel will be...a tournament of Love, as suggested by your very own Chazz Princeton!"

"Chazz won?"

The five friends all had said the same thing, at the same time. All of them had looks of shock and surprise. None of them had imagined that Chazz's idea was the one that was going to win. Even though the five of them had yelled the same thing, their voices were almost completely drowned out by the uproar from the other students in the building. There was barely anyone that didn't have some kind of reaction to who the winner was.

"It's _The_ Chazz!"

They all turned around to see Chazz standing behind them, smiling as thought he has just won the greatest duel of his life. "And, yes. That was my idea, and I am glad to see that Chancellor Sheppard agreed." The other five students just stood there, dumbfounded with disbelief. None of them understood why Chazz even suggested such an idea.

"But, Chazz. Why did you even suggest that? It's not like you are Mr. Romance or anything like that."  
"Because, Jaden, I had a very specific reason for it."  
"Well, we are all ears, bro."

The black-clothed duelist grinned even more, turning his head away slightly and tilting his head downward, also slightly. "Well, if you must know, I plan on winning the tournament and getting a date with the student chosen by popular vote. And, of course the students are going to vote for the one person that my love has always been for..." Chazz started getting dramatic the more he talked.

"...and, that person, the person that the other students will vote for...Is you, Alexis!" As he said her name, he pointed in her direction, all the while being slightly flushed in the face. Alexis' already surprised look changed to an even more surprised look, but quickly changed to dislike; some might have even called it hate. "Chazz! I am not some prize to be won. And, if you think I will let any of what you said happen, then think again!"

With that said, Alexis stormed out of the building, likely heading for the Blue dorm. Atticus didn't say anything, simply running after his sister. However, it was Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry that would say something on her behalf.

"That's really low of you, Chazz! How can you just try and force Alexis on a date with you?" Syrus made his remark.  
"He's right, Chazz. If Alexis doesn't want to do anything like that, then you can't make her." Jaden spoke next.  
"My commanding officer has the right idea. Sounds like you are a couple troops short of a full battalion!" Hassleberry spoke last.

"Hey! When I want your opinions, I'll ask for them. Until then, keep your traps shut, slackers!" Chazz couldn't say much to their comments. After all, even he knew that it was still going to be a long shot for the students to even vote Alexis as the person that goes on the date with the tournament winner.

With that, Chazz left the building, all the while still leaving an impression on the students who he just had his argument with.

Soon after, Chancellor Sheppard spoke one more time over the P.A. System. "The voting for the student who will be the one that has the date with the tournament winner will close in 3 days. Make sure you get your votes in, and thank you for all of your wonderful ideas!"

However, Jaden and his friends, during their argument, missed an important statement that Chancellor Sheppard made only a few moments ago...

...and it was a statement that was going to have a lasting effect.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

**_There we go! Chapter 3 is complete!_**

**_Like always, if you ever want to have a chat with me, just shoot me a PM or e-mail while visiting my profile. Also! I have a new poll up for you to vote for! This poll is in regards to which Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh! GX opening song is your favorite. Please remember to vote on which SONG is your favorite. Don't vote on the entire AMV, just the song!_**

**_That about does it for now. I'll see you in Chapter 4 – And the winner is...!_**


	4. Chapter 4: And the Winner is

**_Hey everyone!_**

**_Sorry for not getting this chapter out as quick as the rest. To be honest, working on two different stories that take place in 2 completely separate universes (or anime, if you want to use that word) can be a little bit on the stressful side._**

**_But, no worries! Things are going well! As a small side-note, during the course of this story, I will be making up cards of my own that will be used in duels between the characters. So, bare with me and accept the new cards._**

**_Now, without anymore of my flapping my yap, here is Chapter 4!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

~~!~~  
~~!~~

Chapter 4 – And the Winner is...

"And now, I activate Polymerization! This allows me to fuse my Steamroid on the field with the Gyroid in my hand in order to Fusion Summon my Steam Gyroid!"

Syrus placed the spell card in a Spell and Trap card slot on his Duel Disk, activating the effect of his Polymerization. The effect of the card was soon presented to the rest of the spectators watching the duel. A swirling vortex was displayed on the field thanks to the holographic projectors built into the arena floor. Both of Syrus' monster went into the vortex, combining together and forming the finished monster.

The bluenette smiled with satisfaction. However, his opponent, another student from Ra Yellow, was not all that impressed. "So, you summoned up a fusion monster. Big deal. My Cyber-Tech Alligator's 2500 attack points is still higher than your monster's attack points!"

"True, but not for long!"  
"You have got to be bluffing!"  
"That's what you think! From my hand, I play the magic card, Limiter Removal! This doubles the attack points of a machine-type monster on my side of the field. So now, Steam Gyroid's attack points double from 2200 to 4400!"

The other Ra Yellow looked at the attack points of his opponent's monster. He didn't believe that one of the seemingly weakest duelists in all of the Ra Yellow dorm was about to defeat him. He thought for sure dueling the bluenette was going to be an easy win for him. However, it proved to be a more difficult duel than he had envisioned.

Unfortunately, Syrus was not done with him turn. "Now, Steam Gyroid! Attack his Cyber-Tech Alligator!" On command, the machine-type monster went up against the mechanical reptilian. But, the other Ra Yellow student still had one trick up his sleeve.

"Sorry, but you just fell right into my trap."  
"A Trap?"  
"That's right! I was hoping for you to use something to power-up your monster. So, I waited. And now, it is time. Reveal trap card, Effect Replication!"  
"So, what does that trap card do, Scotty?"  
"I'm glad you asked, Syrus. By discarding a card from my hand, this trap card allows me to copy the effect of a magic or trap card my opponent played during their Battle Phase. And so, I will copy the effect of your Limiter Removal, applying it's power to my Cyber-Tech Alligator!"

The bluenette's face went from triumph to frustration in an instant. He thought for sure that his combo was going to seal the duel in his favor. But, as luck would have it, even if was bad luck, it was not meant to be, at least not this turn. All of his hanging out with Jaden, Bastion, and Alexis helped Syrus to grow and plan ahead in a duel.

He looked on as the Cyber-Tech Alligator's attack points doubled from 2500 to 5000. The power boost was enough to not only destroy his Steam Gyroid, but also finish off the rest of his 500 Life Points.

The effect took hold, and Scotty was ready to launch his counter attack. "Go, Cyber-Tech Alligator! Reptilian Slash!" The reptilian charged forward with even more vigor than Syrus' Steam Gyroid. But, The bluenette had planned for this, just in case his combo hadn't been pulled off like he had hoped.

"I don't think so, Scotty! I activate my face-down card, Withdraw! By paying 200 Life Points, I can recall the attack of one of my monsters. Steam Gyroid! Stop your attack and return to my side of the field!" With the attack canceled, Syrus' Steam Gyroid stopped mid-field, before making contact with Scotty's Cyber-Tech Alligator. Like a train, the Steam Gyroid backed up as thought it were on railroad tracks, positioning itself back on Syrus' side of the field.

However, the Steam Gyroid was not safe much longer, and Syrus knew that. "I'll set one card face down, and end my turn. And, due to the effect of Limiter Removal, my Steam Gyroid is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard."

"And, due to my Effect Replication copying the effect of your Limiter Removal Spell card, I also have to destroy my monster." At that moment, both monsters on the field exploded. And, naturally, both Syrus and Scotty discarded their monsters to the Graveyard.

"Now, it's my turn. I draw!" Scotty drew a card from his deck, looked at it for a moment, and smiled. He then turned his attention to the rest of the cards in his hand, figuring out a plan that would help him to win this duel. Syrus, on the other hand, was not as excited about the draw as his opponent was. 'Uh oh. I don't like that look on his face,' the bluenette thought to himself, shaking a little bit at the though of losing his duel against the boy across the playing field.

'Well, I still have one shot. I just hope my next draw will be what I need.' He tried to calm himself down, hoping that he would not show his opponent just how nervous he was. After all, his last duel against his own brother, Zane, was an experience that wasn't easy to just shake off.

But, now that it was Scotty's turn, Syrus needed to focus on what he was going to do. "First, I am going to summon my Alien Shocktrooper in Attack Mode!" The holographic system kicked in, materializing the image of a reptilian with a large sword in it's hand. But, it seemed that Scotty was not done yet. "And now, I have to get rid of that annoying face down card of yours. So, from my hand, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" Soon, a large gust of wind came over the field, destroying Syrus' face down card.

"Now your field is completely empty! Attack, Alien Shocktrooper! Extra-terrestrial Attack!" The monster charged forward, ready to take out the rest of the bluenette's Life Points. The audience let out several oohs and ahh, knowing that this was going to end the duel for the pair.

However...

"You fell into my trap, Scotty! My face down card was Wonder Garage. When it is still face down on my field and sent to the Graveyard, I am allowed to Special Summon a level 4 or lower "roid" monster from my hand. So, I will summon my Jetroid in attack mode!"

The other duelist simply smirked. "You made the mistake of summoning him in Attack mode. My Alien Shocktrooper will turn him into scrap! Go, Alien Shocktrooper! Attack his Jetroid!"

"You still have good deal to learn about my Vehicroid monsters, Scotty!"  
"There is nothing to learn, Syrus! Your Life Points are as good as gone!"  
"Sorry Scotty, but that is where you are wrong?"  
"What?"

Syrus smiled, knowing that this duel was now his. "You see, when Jetroid is the target of an attack, I am allowed to activate a trap card from my hand! And, the card I choose is Magic Cylinder!" Scotty's eyes widened. He knew what the card did, and he also knew that it meant that this was the end of the duel for him. And, it was at that moment that he realized that the bluenette was correct. He had not known about the effect of Jetroid. If he did, he would have recalled his attack and waited it out.

Pulled from his thoughts, Scotty noticed Syrus was talking again. "With Magic Cylinder, I can negate your attack, and send it right back at you as direct damage!" The cylinders appeared on the field, one taking in the attack of the Alien Shocktrooper and the other send it right back at Scotty.

With an attack of 1900, and his Life points lower than that, the duel ended.

The equipment in the arena deactivated, shutting off all of the holographic projectors that were used in the duel which had just concluded. Syrus wanted to breath a sigh of relief, but kept his composer, trying not to let his now defeated opponent know that he felt the pressure of the duel. That was the one thing that the bluenette wanted to work on since his duel with Zane.

Scotty slowly walked over to Syrus, slightly hanging his head in defeat. "Well, Syrus. That was a really good duel." He stuck his hand out as a sign of good sportsmanship. And Syrus, being the person he was, accepted the invitation. They both shook hands, causing the spectators to stand up and give a round of applause. There were numerous comments from them, ranging from "Great duel," to "Awesome win," and even "Duel again!" The bluenette was happy that he was able to give it what he had and win the duel.

"Yeah. It sure was, Scotty."  
"You are a strong duelist. I don't know why I thought you weren't."  
"Hey! Just because I am short, doesn't mean I can't duel, you know."  
"Hehe. I never said that, Syrus. Anyway, I better get going. Crowler gave me an essay to do."  
"Alright. See you later, Scotty!"

The two Ra Yellows parted ways. The spectators also decided that it was time to leave the arena, as there were no other duels that were suppose to happen. Luckily for Syrus and Scotty, their duel was just an exhibition duel. There was nothing riding on it for either of the two.

As Syrus was exiting the arena, he was stopped by Jaden. "Hey, Sy! That was a sweet duel! You did awesome!"

"Thanks, Jay. I knew that I would win."  
"And, that's because you have been working hard."  
"It's nice that you noticed, because one day, I want to take you down in a real duel!"

Jaden laughed at the comment. "I'll be looking forward to that day. You sure have gotten a lot of confidence since your duel with Zane." The mere mention of the Obelisk Blue graduate turned bad made Syrus' face change from a face of victory to a face of depression. He knew he had tried as hard as he could to beat his brother in that duel. But, his brother's deck was just too powerful for his own Vehicroid deck to handle.

The bluenette lowered his head, which caught Jaden's attention rather quickly. "What's wrong, Sy? I thought you were happy that you won the duel against Scotty." True, Syrus was happy that he won a duel against one of his dorm mates, but the defeat he suffered at the hands of his own brother was something that still lingered.

"Well, I am. But...Zane..."  
"Your brother? Are you still thinking about your duel against him?"  
"Yeah. He was just a totally different person than the one I knew. It was like...dueling started changing him."  
"Sy, it wasn't his dueling that changed him. It was how he was dueling."

The bluenette looked up at the brunette with an inquisitive look. "What do you mean by that, Jay?" Syrus was waiting for an explanation from the Slifer Red. He himself couldn't figure out what his friend was talking about. So, the only thing he could do was wait.

"Well, Sy. Remember when you were dueling with Zane?" How could he not? It was the most intense duel that he had ever been in throughout his entire light. His tag duel with Jaden against the Paradox Brothers seemed so small compared to the duel he had against his own brother. "Yeah. I remember it. What about it?"

"During the duel, Zane mentioned that during his duels in the Underground, he discovered the pleasure in pain. I think his dueling in the Underground circuit was what warped him into the duelist he is now. I haven't heard much, but I remember hearing that Underground duels are things that can really change the way a person thinks. I guess it did just that to Zane."

For the life of him, Syrus couldn't remember that last time that Jaden had talked that much. But, at the time like this, it was something that he could appreciate. It was just the explanation that he needed to feel better about the whole situation, even if it still was on his mind most of the time. "Thanks, Jay. I really helps."

"No prob, Sy. Just let know if you want to talk again."  
"I'll remember that. Well, we better...Oh, man! We're late!"  
"Huh? Late for what, Sy?"  
"Vice-chancellor Bonaparte was going to hold another lecture today, and all Slifer Reds and Ra Yellows were obligated to attend!"  
"Really? I guess I must not have gotten that message."  
"Jaden!"  
"Alright, alright, Sy. Let's go."

Without another moment to spare, the pair ran out of the duel arena towards the lecture hall.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"Wow. I gotta say, that was one long lecture."

Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry all left the Lecture Hall. The lecture that Vice-chancellor Bonaparte gave was long, even for him. It had lasted almost 2 hours, and most of the students would have agreed that the lecture was extremely repetitive, covering the same material over and over and over again. Many of the students were not even sure why it was mandatory for them to even listen to it.

The three boys had spotted Alexis in the Lecture Hall, as well. But, they were confused as to why an Obelisk Blue was there for it. In fact, Alexis was the ONLY Obelisk Blue that was at Bonaparte's lecture. It really struck them all as out of place, to say the least.

So, Jaden, being the most outspoken of the group, approached her when he walked out of the Lecture hall. "Hey, Alexis!"

"Hey there, Jaden. What's up?"  
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. Why were you listening to Bonaparte's lecture?"  
"I thought it would be something interesting. That's all."  
"Really? There wasn't much that was interesting about it."

Both Syrus and Hassleberry nodded their heads in agreement. Like Jaden, they also felt as though the lecture was repetitive and boring, going over the same things each time something was brought up. "I have to agree with Jay. It was really boring, not to mention Obelisk Blues were not even forced to attend it."

"Private Truesdale hit the nail on the head. The Obelisk Blues weren't obligated to attend." Hassleberry gave his input on why Alexis was there, or rather, why she could have not been there. However, both Syrus and Hassleberry's comments just got a shake of the girl's head, signaling that they were wrong. What they were wrong about, they were not sure. But, they knew that the Queen of the Obelisk Blue dorm would let them know.

"I know I wasn't forced to attend it, but I am planning ahead for the future. I may need to know this stuff if I decide to...oh...become a professor myself. Kind of a silly idea, I know. But, then again, you never know what will happen. So, it's best to prepare and wait for things to pan out."

Both Syrus and Hassleberry looked at each other and nodded their heads. Even though they pointed something out to Alexis, to which she proved them wrong, they had to agree with her, since there was rarely a time when she was wrong. Jaden, however, didn't nod his head in agreement. Instead, he simply smiled and walked a little closer to the girl.

"It's not a silly idea at all, Alexis. I think you would be a great teacher some day. I mean, you know a lot about Duel Monsters. So, it would be pretty sweet to see you as a teacher some day."

Alexis blushed a little bit at the comment. True, she had dreamed of becoming a great Duel Monsters professor when she grew up, but she had figured that she didn't know enough to be able to become a professor. Of course, she knew that she would learn more as she advanced in her field of study, but even now, she felt as though there was so much that she didn't know. However, Jaden's words warmed her heart, knowing that there was someone in this world that believed in her ability to achieve her dream.

"Thanks, Jaden."  
"No prob, Alexis. We all know that you can do it. Right, guys?"

The brunette looked at the other two boys who were still standing around. Both of them looked at the Obelisk blue, with smiles on their faces, and nodded their heads in sincere agreement with Jaden. Like Alexis, Jaden was also right about this kind of stuff. It seemed the both of them had some kind of sixth sense for being rights about something that had yet to be determined.

"Jaden's right, Alexis. You would be a great teacher!"  
"As my commanding officer, I have to concur with the Sergeant!"

Their moment was soon interrupted by a familiar voice coming over the P.A. System , and that voice happened to belong to Crowler. "Attention, Students. All of you are hereby mandated to gather in the main concourse of the building. The staff have tallied the votes for the Graduation Duel prize...erm...person who will get a date with the winner of the tournament."

All with shocked expressions on their faces, Alexis, Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry all looked at each other. They were all thinking the exact same thing, but it was Jaden, sometimes called the mouth of the group, who spoke fire. "Aw, man! I totally forgot about that. I didn't vote." The other 2 just looked at him and simply nodded their heads.

"Well, at least I know I won't be the 'prize.' I withdrew myself from the drawing." Alexis spoke up after a somewhat awkward, but short, silence between them all. The three boys looked at each other, then back to Alexis, who had a look of confusion on her face, as though she was confused as to why she thought they knew, but obviously did not.

"You guys did hear the announcement a few days ago after the initial one, right? Chancellor Sheppard said that anyone that felt that they were not comfortable in being the 'prize' for the tournament, they could visit him and withdraw their name from the drawing. I did that the first chance I got."

Jaden, once again, was the first to speak up before Hassleberry and Syrus. "I guess I missed that memo. Wouldn't it be funny if I was the 'winner?" Jaden let out a half-hearted laugh, put a sarcastic emphasis on "winner." His comment got a bit of a chuckle out of Syrus and Alexis, but Hassleberry wasn't all that amused, though he decided not to let it

Before he could voice any comment on the situation, Professor Crowler came walking down the hall, apparently trying to get the rest of the students to make their way to the designated meeting area. "No time to dilly dally. Get down to the main concourse at once!" The Professors voice was rather commanding, even for him. But, it was a voice that seemed to get the job done. All of the students that were within hearing distance from the elder duelist stopped what they were doing, making their way to the concourse.

The only group that didn't seem to move much was Jaden and company.

"When I said all students were to report to the main concourse, that meant you four, as well."  
"Sorry, teach. We'll get down there now."  
"You had better. This is something that you don't want to miss."

"By the way, Professor. Do you know who the chosen student is?" Syrus had spoken out of the blue. And, it was somewhat out of character of him. He normally wasn't the one that would just speaking up like that. That was normally something that Jaden would do. Syrus, on the other hand, was the one person in the group that normally kept quiet until someone spoke to him...or he needed to bug Jaden for something.

However, Crowler just scoffed a little bit. "I don't know myself. However, I DO have the envelop in my hand. But, no one is to see it until I make the announcement! Now, all of you! Be on your way. Don't just stand around and waste your time.

With a nod of their heads, the four duelists turned around and made their way to the concourse.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"Attention, Madams and Messieurs!"

Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte was at the front of the throng of students, attempting to get their attention and quiet them down. Professor Crowler had taken a detour in getting to the main concourse. He told Bonaparte and Sheppard it would be great for building suspense amongst the students. But, in actuality, he just wanted to get a peak the winner more than anything. But, Chancellor Sheppard knew the Professor all too well, and followed him. So, he was forced to just take a long walk to the concourse.

The short French-man spoke again. "Vice-Chancellor Crowler will be here shortly with the chosen student. My only hope is that he doesn't turn this into a fashionably late faux pas." Of course, the short Vice-Chancellor did not mean for the last part of his comment to be said aloud, but it happened nonetheless.

Jaden and company had just arrived in the main concourse, which was packed fulled of students. The group could only guess that every single student in the school was gathered there.

"Well, well. Look who it is. The Slacker..." Chazz was going to finish his comment off by saying that Jaden was with his club, but quickly noticed that Alexis was with the group. So, he was forced to abandon his insult and amend his thinking. "...and of course Alexis, the only person in the group that doesn't belong there."

"And, just what do you mean by that, Chazz?"  
"Oh, give me a break, Alexis. You don't belong with a group of slackers. You should be with me."  
"You are impossible, Chazz. Not only did you try and setup this ridiculous tournament just so that you can get to me, but you also belittle your own friends at times."  
"Look, just because they may be my 'friends' doesn't mean that I can't point out their flaws."

Alexis simply sighed, knowing that there wasn't anything that she could do to change the boy's mind. Whenever Chazz made up his mind, that was it. There was no changing it. To this day, there hasn't been a force on the planet that has been able to change Chazz's when he makes his decision.

Many of the students in the area started talking quietly amongst themselves. They didn't want to interrupt Crowler when he finally arrived with the announcement of who the chosen student was going to be. Not a lot of students decided to withdraw from candidacy, but there were several that did not feel comfortable with being the "prize" of some tournament, even if it did mean that the person that they had a crush one might actually be the student that wins the entire competition.

However, of all the students that were talking, Jaden and company were the ones that seemed to have remained silent...that is, until Chazz once again spoke up. "So, Alexis. What do you think we should do on our date?"

"What are you talking about now, Chazz?"  
"I mean, when Crowler comes in here, calls out your name, and then I win the entire tournament. When I win, it means I get a date with you."  
"Chazz, you obviously didn't get my message the first time."  
"But, Alexis! My love for you is burning brighter than the sun, and is stronger than even Exodia himself!"

The other three boys in the area all snickered to themselves. They had never seen Chazz turn into such a romantic, especially since he rarely, if ever, showed any kind of emotion, except for anger and sometimes frustration.

And, this time, it seemed his feelings for Alexis were going to cause him heartache. "Chazz, get the picture here. I took myself out of the drawing. I won't be the chosen student." At that moment, Chazz's mouth almost dropped to the floor. 'My plan...It's ruined!'

That was the only thought that ran through the former Obelisk Blue's head.

"But...but...Alexis! We were destined to be together!"  
"Chazz, if we were destined to be together, it would have happened by now."  
"It was going to happen, if you didn't pull out of the drawing!"  
"Look. Chazz. It's never going to happen. Now, just drop it, ok?"

The former Obelisk Blue hung his head in defeat. The one person that he had actual feelings for had just shot him down. Then again, this wasn't the first time that Alexis had done so. There were other times prior when Chazz had confessed his love for the Queen of the Obelisk Blue dorm. The year before this one, right before Kagemaru awoke the Sacred Beasts, Chazz had dueled against Alexis in order to get her to see his love. But, that did not end well, resulting in Chazz getting defeated, right before Kagemaru's attack.

There wasn't much for the rest of the group to say. Most of what was going to be said ended up being spoken in thoughts only. Sure, they all wanted to add in their sarcastic remarks and funny comments, but the time just didn't seem right to any of them.

However, the silence in the group did not last long. The suspense was starting to become too much for Jaden to handle. He had to say what was on his mind. "So, who do you think the student will be?"

"I'll tell you who it ISN'T." Chazz spoke while looking sadly at Alexis.  
"I know it isn't me." Alexis turned her head away from Chazz, looking at Syrus.  
"Don't look at me! There's no way I could have been voted in." Syrus then looked at Hassleberry.  
"Private, I hope you don't think that I could be made into a prize of some kind!" Hassleberry felt insulted by the notion.

Then, everyone looked at the only person who had initially asked the question; Jaden. They were all waiting for the brunette's answer to his own inquiry. He slowly looked around at his group of friends, all of them waiting for his response.

"Of course it won't be Jaden."

The sudden appearance of the voice threw the students off-balance. They all turned around to see a familiar face, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, all the while quietly strumming his ukulele. Of course, it goes without saying that only one person on the island would even remotely fit the description. And that person was, naturally, Atticus Rhodes.

Jaden, who really didn't want to be the chosen student in the first place, actually got a little upset by the statement. "What do you mean it won't be me? Why do you think I wouldn't?"

"Because, Jaden. I will be the one that wins."  
"Come again?"  
"You're a great duelist, Jaden. So, it's only natural that you are NOT picked as the prize. If you were, then you wouldn't be able to enjoy the duels in the tournament."  
"Well, I guess you have a point. But, then again. If I win...doesn't that mean I go on a date with you?"

A flush of red appeared across Atticus' face. He hadn't thought that far ahead in the conversation. He had no idea that Jaden would even think about winning the tournament. He thought that the Slifer Red would just focus on enjoying the duels, like he always did.

Thinking quickly on his feet, Atticus tried to sidestep his previous comment. "Well..umm...I said you are a great duelist, but that doesn't mean you will win the tournament. I'm sure someone else win it. So, no worries, right?"

Before Jaden could respond to the comment, a loud sound was heard from somewhere in the concourse. All of the students looked around for the source of the sound, finding that it came from the door that had been closed quickly, almost in a slamming manner. Upon looking in the direction of the sound, the students observed Professor Crowler emerging from a hallway and making his way to the front of the concourse. In his left hand, he was holding an envelop, which contained the student who had been voted in as the "prize" for the tournament.

There was dead silence in the lobby-type area. All eyes were following Crowler as he made his way to his destination, which did not take long. However, he didn't let that stop him from addressing the students waiting in anticipation. "Now, now. Don't everyone get excited at once. Yes. I do have the news you have been wanting. Now, just be patient."

Bonaparte was standing on the spot where Crowler was heading. He, too, decided to say something. "There you are! You're late, Crowler."

"Oh, pipe down, little man."  
"Excusez-moi?"

"Now now, you two. There's no need to argue. Remember, we are here for the students." The arrival of Chancellor Sheppard's voice stopped the inevitable fight that was going to have erupted. Instead, it appears that it was postponed for the moment. Knowing Crowler and Bonaparte, they would seen start arguing with each other once all of the students were gone.

In unison, both Crowler and Bonaparte apologized. "Sorry, Chancellor." Both of them, in unison as well, bowed their heads in forgiveness, a custom that Sheppard had become accustomed to since Bonaparte and Crowler would often do something wrong.

"Well, then Since that is out of the way, Crowler, would you care to make the announcement to the students gathered here?" Sheppard looked at one of his Vice-chancellors with a smile on his face, as a pleasant sound in his voice. It was easy to tell that Chancellor Sheppard was both eager and excited to hear which students the rest of the student had voted him. After all, a tournament like this one wasn't something that came around that much.

With a nod of his head, Crowler walked back to the front of the throng of students. They all had finally quieted down after the initial arrival of the Vice-Chancellor to the concourse. "Very well, then."

"Attention, students! As you know, over the past few days, you came to this building and casted your votes for which student would be the one that goes on a...date with the winner of the Graduation Duel tournament." Crowler knew that if dragged this on too long, it would more than likely turn into one of his lecture that could last almost an hour, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but even the suspense was starting to get to him, as well.

He continued on, trying to wrap this up so he could get back to what he was doing. "A select group of faculty members have counted the votes, and the results are in this envelop." The Vice-Chancellor held up the white envelop for everyone to see. In actuality, he was holding it up in hope that he would be able to see the name of the student if just enough light past through the folder paper. To his disappointment, this was not the case. The paper used to fold into the envelop was thicker than he thought. The name did not show through.

Quietly sighing to himself, Crowler pulled the envelop down to chest-level and proceeded to talk again. "Now, the moment that you have all been waiting for. I will now open the envelop and announce who you, the students, voted for."

Taking out what seemed like a knife, Crowler placed the pointy end of it against the side of the envelop, forcing the letter opener between two sections. After getting it all the way through, in one swift move, he jerked the letter opener upward, effectively cutting the folded portion of the envelop apart, exposing the folded paper inside. He looked down at the white envelop, seeing if he could make out a name. Once again, to his disappointment, Crowler was unable to see the name of the student. He quietly sighed to himself again.

"Students, faculty, Chancellor Sheppard. I present to you the student who has been voted on. And, the lucky pupil is..." Crowler pulled the paper out of the envelop. In his mind, at least he knew that he was still going to be the first person to know. While he had wanted to know all along, still being the first, even in front of his boss, peers, and students, meant something to the man.

He unfolded the paper...and his eyes widened upon seeing the name. He couldn't help himself in what happened next. "WHAT! THAT is who it is? This can't be right!" His reaction got a lot of confused looks from the students, as well as the dorm leaders and Chancellor Sheppard.

"Is there a problem, Crowler?" Chancellor Sheppard walked up behind Crowler, making his presence immediately known to the other man. Crowler turned around, handing the paper to his boss. Sheppard happily accepted, looking over the writing on the paper and studying everything on it.

"Chancellor, do you think there could have been a mistake?"  
"I don't think this is a mistake at all, Crowler. I think the students have spoken."  
"But, Chancellor! Surely there was a mix-up during the voting."  
"Now, Crowler. Just because the student you were hoping to win didn't get the nomination, it doesn't mean something went wrong. Now, please announce this to the rest of the student body."

Still not believing that the students, HIS students, had voted for the one named on the paper, Crowler reluctantly took the paper back from Sheppard, almost scoffing as the white parchment was in his hands. "Alright, then. I guess there isn't much that can be changed now." Crowler turned around, with Sheppard giving him a positive nod.

"While it is hard to believe, the nominated student is..."

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"What do you mean it can't be changed?"

Jaden was almost shouting. The brunette, Syrus, Alexis, Hassleberry, Atticus, and even Chazz, had all gone to the Chancellor's office, in hopes that the nomination could be changed from it's current outcome.

"I'm sorry, everyone. However, your fellow student's have spoken. In addition, the announcement that student's could withdraw themselves from the nomination process was made right after we stated that the Graduation Duel event would be this tournament Chazz suggested. I'm sorry, but it cannot be changed.

All of the students in his office were still shocked. They had hope that, since most of them had been at the school for almost a full two years, they would have been able to pull some strings and get the nomination changed. But, it seemed as though Chancellor Sheppard was not going to budge on the subject. He knew that he had to remain adamant on the decision. It wasn't in his character to go back on things like this, and he wasn't going to start now.

But, Crowler, in a rare instance, agreed with Jaden. "I have to agree with Jaden, Chancellor. There must have been some kind of way that we can change the nomination. After all, the tournament hasn't even started yet. So, it can't be that much trouble to just change the name."

"Please, Chancellor Sheppard. Can't you do us this one favor?" Alexis spoke up.  
"Alexis is right. It just doesn't feel right. It needs to be changed." Hassleberry commented afterwards.  
"Please, Chancellor. Isn't there anyway that it can change?" Syrus' voice quivered slightly.  
"Yeah, and don't forget who risked everything last year to protect those Sacred Beast cards. You kinda owe us." Chazz spoke in a rather arrogant tone.

"Look, everyone. I know you may not like the outcome of the nomination, but I will not back down from this. When the tournament starts, he is going to be the one that other students may potentially win a 'date' with. That is my final decision."

All of the students, as well as Crowler, all hung their heads in dejection. They knew that Sheppard was a kind-hearted person, but they did not know that he would stick to his guns like this. Surely, there must have been a way to change it. He was in charge of Duel Academy, after all. It was well within his power to make an announcement to the rest of the student body that there was a change in the nominations and that a new student was now the nominee. However, the older man didn't move one bit in his decision.

Seeing that there was no reason to say in the office, Jaden and company left. First it was Jaden, then Syrus, followed closely by Hassleberry and Chazz, with Alexis leaving last. As the door closed, a slight gust of wind came into the room, knocking a few pieces of paper off of Sheppard's deck and onto the carpeted floor. One of them was the same piece of paper that had the student nominated by his peers. As it fell to the floor, Crowler and Sheppard caught sight of the student's name one more time.

"Syrus Truesdale"

~~!~~  
~~!~~

**_There we go! Chapter 4 is now complete!_**

**_Things are starting to shape up for the second year students of Duel Academy! Chazz's idea of a Tournament of Love? Syrus being the student nominee? Crowler AGREEING with Jaden? It is as though the end of the world is coming! Ok, not really, but it is still quite dramatic (ok...not really...again...)._**

**_Anyway, time to wrap this, and I will see you all in Chapter 5 – Love-struck Duels!_**


	5. Chapter 5: A Time for Thinking

**_Ahoy hoy, everyone!_**

**_Here we go with Chapter 5, A Time for Thinking! I realize I said this one would be called "Love Struck Duels", but I decided to change my mind at the last minute. Sorry!_**

**_When we last left Syrus, it was made known that he would be the student that the participants in the tournament would be dueling to get a date with (aka. The "prize"). Obviously, he is not too thrilled about this, but thems the breaks!_**

**_Now, the Ra Yellow is thinking about what this could mean for him. What if a person he doesn't like wins the tournament? Could he actually find love as the prize? Who knows (Well, I do. You will too as the story progresses)!_**

**_So, let's see what is going on inside Syrus' head!_**

~~!~~  
~~!~~

Chapter 5 – A Time for Thinking

He had to tell his friends that needed some alone time. This wasn't something that he really wanted to talk to his friends about. Granted, it was somewhat of a honor to have the student base select him, but it was also a huge embarrassment, considering that he didn't think of himself to be anywhere near "prize" material. However, given the circumstances, there wasn't much that he could do about it.

Syrus was alone in his and Jaden's old room. Of course, Jaden still lived in the dorm room, but Syrus had sense moved back into the Ra Yellow dorm since the Society of Light was completely removed from the island.

There wasn't a lot of light in the room. He had closed the curtains and not even turned a light on. Syrus seemed to be the most comfortable thinking in areas that were only dimly lit. He wasn't sure why, but that was just something about himself that he had discovered as he grew up more and more. Of course, he used the phrase "growing up" loosely, as he still considered himself to be a little kid in most aspects. In fact, sometimes, he even still wrapped himself in his bedsheets to just calm himself down.

'Why did it have to be me?' The bluenette's mind kept repeating that same question over and over and over again. Never had he thought that he would be put in such a position. Sure, there was a chance that he might actually get "won" by someone that he had a genuine interest in, but those chances were so small, Syrus had already decided not to dwell on such pipe dreams or flights of fancy. He just didn't have the self-esteem to think that someone could like him in that way.

Needless to say, his friends were worried about him. Of course, he knew this, but he also knew that he had to think this over. He had to mentally come to terms, even though most of the time his "thinking" just consisted of him sulking for a while until one of his friends came and helped him out.

And, this time was no different.

"Hey, Sy. Are you ok, bro?"

The bluenette was pulled out of his thoughts after hearing the voice of his best friend. He really didn't feel like talking to Jaden at the moment, but since the brunette was already at the dorm room door, there wasn't much choice in the matter. He slowly got off of the bed, walking in an almost slow-motion movie manner towards the door. 'I knew Jay would come. He's always looking out for me...'

That thought alone struck a nerve in the bluenette's mind. Sure, he liked it when Jaden would watch out for him. In fact, it happened so often that Syrus barely even noticed it anymore. From the Shadow Rider Nightshroud last year to their first encounter with Hassleberry this year, Jaden had always had Syrus' back. Not that Syrus didn't like having someone watch his back, but the fact that Jaden was ALWAYS watching his back, and the fact that Jaden ALWAYS was the one that got him out of danger or rescue him, it was starting to make Syrus feel as though he couldn't defend himself or watch his own back.

He wanted to prove to Jaden that he could take care of himself.

Syrus opened the door, his vision greeted to a bright and sunny date on Duel Academy Island, and a taller brunette standing in front of him. "Hey, Jay. Why are you here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, Syrus. What's wrong?"  
"It's nothing. I just...was really surprised, that's all."  
"Well, who wouldn't be? I know I would hate to have been the one picked."  
"What really bugs me is that it was by popular vote. I'm nowhere near as popular as some of the other students. Why me?"

Jaden put on a somewhat thoughtful expression on his face. He wasn't sure, but he might have been able to put his finger on it. "Maybe it is because of Zane." The name of the bluenette's older brother immediately got the Ra Yellow's attention. 'Zane? ZANE? Why him? How could he have done this to me?'

"How could Zane have anything to do with this, Jaden? He had nothing to do with it!"  
"Well...look at it like this, Sy."  
"Like how? How could Zane's involvement have any impact on it?"  
"Woah, chill out, bro. Let me explain."

Syrus heard his best friend's words, and tried his best to calm himself down. "Ok, check this out. You probably weren't the most popular student here..." Great, that made Syrus feel a whole lot better. His self-esteem was small as it was. Then again, he had already acknowledged that he wasn't the most popular student at the school. So, Jaden's comment didn't sting him as much as it might have.

"Anyway. Your duel with Zane probably got a lot of students to respect you. I mean, you willingly took on the best student that ever graduated from Duel Academy. And, you almost won. That counts for a lot when it comes to some of the others."

Syrus got to thinking. 'Maybe Jay is right. A lot of people have wanted to duel me since I dueled my big brother.' But still, Syrus was very uncomfortable with the idea of being the "prize" of some tournament.

"Maybe you're right, Jay. But..."  
"But what, Sy?"  
"Well...I still don't like the idea of being some prize to be won at a tournament. It seems a little degrading, don't you think?"

Jaden looked at the bluenette, and started to laugh a little bit. "Ha-ha. I would actually think of it as some kind of weird flattery." Syrus, however, was not at all amused by the outburst of laughter. In fact, he didn't think it was that funny. Plus, he didn't quite see where Jaden was coming from in his statement.

"I don't think it's funny. And, how is it flattery?"  
"Well, people voted for you. That means they like you and really want to get a date with you. Who knows? You might get some cute girl."

A smile stretched across the brunette's face with his last comment, as well as a slight wink to Syrus. The bluenette could tell that Jaden was trying to cheer him up over it all. He was that kind of friend; seeing the good in everything, never once looking at the downside. It seemed to be working, somewhat. However, Syrus still had reservations about being a "prize" to be won.

"Thanks, Jay. I was hoping to hear something like that."  
"No prob, Sy. I'm just glad that you are feeling a little better about it."  
"Well, I am still not liking the idea of being a prize to be won, but...I'll make due."  
"That's the spirit! Let's go and find our friends."  
"Right behind you, Jay."

The two boys soon left the Slifer Red dorm, heading to the main building to find the rest of their friends.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

"Alexis, Hassleberry! Over here!"

Jaden yelled out while inside the main concourse. He had spotted Alexis talking with Hassleberry as soon as he and Syrus walked inside the building. The concourse was not as busy today as it had been the past couple days, given that students had gathered here for the various announcements that occurred yesterday and the day before. So, there wasn't a lot of noise in the area, making it easy for Alexis and Hassleberry to hear Jaden.

"Hey, Jaden."  
"There you are, Sarge. Alexis and I were just about to go find you and Truesdale here."  
"Well, it looks like I saved you guys a trip!"

There was a bit of laughing, but it soon died down as Alexis and Hassleberry remembered why there were going to go and look for Jaden and Syrus. Alexis looked at Syrus in an almost sympathetic manner. "How are you holding up, Syrus?"

"Well...umm...I'm ok."  
"Are you sure? That was a big bomb that was dropped on you."  
"I'm fine. I just took me a while to...come to terms with it, so to speak."  
"Now, that's the trooper in you talking, Truesdale. Face this new enemy head on and in full force!"

Since Hassleberry hadn't spoken since Jaden and Syrus arrived, he figured it was time to make his statement. None of the others seemed to have minded Hassleberry and his random, out of the blue, statements. It was something they were use to by now.

"Yeah. I'm sure there is going to be a lot of students participating." Alexis conferred with Hassleberry.  
"It's be a great tournament. I'm sure of it." Jaden agreed with the other two.  
"I agree. It will be a good tournament."

The last comment seemed to have come out of nowhere. The students looked to the source of the statement, only to find Atticus standing there, although he was not in his Hawaiian shirt as he had been the past few days. Instead, he was in his Obelisk Blue uniform, granting him the ability to "blend in with the crowd" now.

Alexis looked at her brother. "Atticus? When did you get here?"

"Well, little sis, I was just wandering around, since there is no class today."  
"And, you aren't up to your usual antics, I hope?"  
"You call them antics. I call them talent."

Alexis sighed, putting her face in the palm of her hand. "You have as much talent as an Ojama." Atticus somewhat scoffed at the remark, while the other three boys in the area simply laughed at the comment.

"Say what you want, little sis. But, one day, my name will be in lights!"

With that, Atticus went off on his way. The other students in the group just looked at each other, wondering if the any of them were going to start laughing at the notion or not. As time would soon tell, none of them felt like laughing anymore. Instead, they all silently agreed to refocus their attention to Syrus.

"So, Syrus. Who do you want to actually win the tournament?" Alexis was the first to ask.  
"Yeah, Sy. Got any special girl in mind?" Jaden was just as noisy.  
"Let's get the info, Private. What's the 4-1-1 on your pick?" Hassleberry concluded with his usual military lingo.

Syrus, however, was taken aback by the sudden onslaught of questions. "Guys, please! I don't know anything yet. I'm still trying to get over being picked in the first place!" There was some distress in the bluenette's voice, distress that Jaden and Alexis quickly picked up on. Hassleberry, however, wasn't as aware of that side of Syrus as much as the other two were.

"You gotta be prepared when you go into battle, soldier!"  
"I am prepared! I'm just...taking my time, that's all."  
"Sounds to me like you're not quite combat ready."

The Dino-duelist kept on pressing the issue, and it was starting to annoying Syrus to no end. "Look, just drop it, Hassleberry. I don't want to talk about that anymore." There was even more distress in Syrus' voice than the first time. Once again, Jaden and Alexis picked up on it. Hassleberry, however, like before, did not.

Luckily, before he had a chance to say anything more, Jaden quickly stepped in. "Come on, Hassleberry. Let's just talk about something else."

"You're right, Sarge. I was out of line to push the issue. It was nothing but insubordination."  
"Don't sweat it. Let's just focus on something else."

No one had any idea what to talk about. They had already talked about Syrus becoming the "prize" for the duel tournament, and since the bluenette apparently did not feel like talking about it anymore, no one in the group was able to think of anything else. The silence between them was starting to grow more and more as the proverbial light bulb did not turn one for any of them.

But, that was about to change. "Well, I better get going. I am going to meet Jasmine and Mindy so we can get our decks ready." Alexis spoke to the rest of the group, almost like a goodbye. The boys, however, were a little curious as to why Alexis was meeting with her two Obelisk blue friends about getting their decks ready.

"Hey, Alexis. What do you mean 'get your decks ready'? Are you three going to duel?" Syrus was the first and probably the most curious out of the three boys to want to know what Alexis meant.

"We are. We're going to compete in the tournament, of course."  
"What? You mean you, Jasmine, and Mindy are going to try and win?"  
"That's the point, Syrus."  
"But...but...you DO realize what the prize is, right?"

Alexis laughed. "Of course we do. But, since you didn't want to be the 'prize' in the first place, I figured that myself, Jasmine, and Mindy could just duel and try to win, then you won't have to worry about someone actually trying to go through with the date. Think of us winning as a 'get out of jail free' card."

With that, the queen of the Obelisk Blue dorm winked before turning around and heading out the front door. Syrus was a little confused, but he was also hurt at the same time. He had hoped that maybe Alexis or one of her two friends might have gone through with the whole "date" part. Syrus briefly liked the idea of spending a little bit of alone time with Alexis. But, since her participation in the tournament was to be Syrus' "get out of jail free" card, his fleet of fancy was crushed in almost an instant.

"It's a good thing Alexis got the reserves in to help her complete her mission, though she could probably achieve her objective on her own." Hassleberry spoke up, praising Alexis for her skills. The dino-duelist looked up to her for her skills, much in the same way that he looked up to Jaden.

"So, Hassleberry. Are you going to participate?" Jaden asked the question that Hassleberry was hoping no one would.  
"Well, the duels are going to be worthy of metals of honor, but the prize sure could use a bit of a re-assignment."  
"Hey! What is that suppose to mean?"  
"It means, Truesdale, that I won't be dueling to get some kind of 'date' with one of my subordinates!"  
"Subordinate? Look who's talking? You couldn't beat me in a duel when Jaden was missing!"

The two continued to argue, a seemingly natural occurrence between them. And, a sight that was not foreign to Jaden in the least. In fact, the two seemed to argue on almost a daily basis. To anyone else, their arguments would have worn on the person's nerves. But, luckily, Jaden was use to the arguments. He had known both of them for a while, so their quarrels were not that surprising to him.

And, Jaden knew that the only way that he was going to be able to stop their argument was for he himself to speak up.

"Well, I know I will be participating."

With just that statement, Syrus and Hassleberry immediately stopped their argument, directing all of their attention to the brunette standing to their side. At first, neither of the two thought that it was Jaden who had spoken. However, after looking around their immediate area, they saw that there was no one close to them that could have said that and them be able to hear it.

All the other students were, at least, 30 feet away from them.

"Has your mind gone AWOL, Sarge? What in Sam Hill do you mean you are participating?"  
"I need to explain it more? I thought it was pretty self-explanatory."  
"Self-explanatory or not, a good soldier always justifies their decisions."  
"Well, if I need to justify my decision...I guess I just want to enjoy the duels."  
"But, Sarge! You do realize what you are supposed to do if you are victorious, right?"  
"You mean the date with Syrus?"  
"That's a big 10-4."

Jaden had to think for a moment. His comment about participating was originally just to stop Hassleberry and Syrus' argument, but he started to like the idea of being part of another tournament. The GX Tournament was all well and good, but with Sartorius and the Society of Light almost taking over the world, it ruined the fun that Jaden hoped the duels would provide.

So, this Graduation Duel Tournament provided the brunette with the perfect opportunity to get the fun out of the duels that the GX Tournament didn't provide.

"I guess I understand that I would win a date with Syrus. But, then again, it isn't like we would do anything that we don't already do."

Hassleberry's face started to turn red, and that was a hard feat to accomplish considering the Dino-duelist's skin was a little darker in color than Jaden or Syrus. 'What they don't already do? What is the Sarge talking about?'

"I mean, Syrus and I already eat pizza together and watch movies. It's not like it's anything extra special." And, at that moment Hassleberry's face went back to it's natural color. His question was answered, thankfully, with an answer that was the opposite of what he was thinking.

Although, Syrus was a little hurt by Jaden's comment. He really did enjoy the nights the two of them were able to sneak a couple slices of pizza, or even a full one, from the Ra Yellow cafeteria and a movie or two from somewhere in the Obelisk boy's dorm. Of course, when the night was over, they would return the movie back to the blue dorm, and bring some fish to the Ra Yellow dorm, since the Slifer cafeteria didn't normally have pizza at the ready.

It was that kind of stuff that Syrus thought he and his brother would do together. However, that was never the case between him and Zane.

But, Jaden...Jaden treated Syrus better than any brother he had ever seen. He always stuck up for the bluenette, helped him when he really needed it, and even encourage him to do his best and become a better duelist.

To Syrus, Jaden was more his brother than Zane ever was.

"Wait a minute...pizza? So, that is where our rations have been going!"  
"Ha-ha. Sorry, Hassleberry. If I knew you wanted some, I would have woken you up."  
"I don't care if you are my commanding officer, those actions were inexcusable!"  
"Hey, chill out, Hassleberry. Syrus and I don't do that anymore. So, you can have all the pizza you want now."

Hassleberry, who was still upset over just finding out that his "commanding officer" was the one behind the missing pizza from the Ra Yellow dorm, tried his best to calm down. "Alright. I'll forgive this act of insubordination this time, Sarge."

"You're the best, Hassleberry!"

With that, Jaden ran off back to the Slifer Red dorm.

~~!~~  
~~!~~

Even after talking with his friends, the idea of being a prize still didn't sit well with Syrus. Even after all of the thinking that he had done prior to and even after talking with his friends, it was as though there was something inside the bluenette that was telling that this wasn't a good idea at all. And, to top it all off, he friends were going to also be competing in the tournament in order to "win" him so that he wasn't forced into a date with something that he had no real interest in.

Syrus was just standing on the porch of the Slifer Red dorm, looking out at the sea and leaning against the railing. He seemed to do his best thinking when he was staring out at practically nothing. Even though he was a Ra Yellow, Syrus always felt most comfortable being at the Slifer dorm.

Without knowing it, Jaden had walked onto the porch from his room and turned the corner, immediately spotting Syrus. "Hey, Sy. What's up?"

"Hey, Jay. I'm just thinking."  
"Don't tell me you are still worried about the whole prize thing."  
"Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't."  
"You can't let this eat at you, Syrus."  
"I know that. I just...it's going to take some time. That's all."  
"Hmmm...I don't want to put more pressure on you, but the tournament starts tomorrow. I don't think you have a lot of time, Sy."

Syrus hung his head, knowing full well that the tournament was going to be starting soon. That was the main reason he was trying to think about it and get over his worries. "I know..."

There was a long silence between them, only the sound of the ocean waters crashing against the cliff were heard. A slight breeze blew through both the bluenette and brunette's hair, making them wave ever so slightly in the air. Jaden soon moved forward, walking next to Syrus only to start leaning against the railing in the exact same fashion that the shorter boy was.

Soon, the silence was broken, as Jaden spoke, almost like he was talking to the ocean. "Don't worry about it. Everything will work out in the end. It normally does." Syrus heard Jaden speak, turning to look at the Slifer Red student and best friend. 'He's always so optimistic.'

Turning back to look at the ocean, Syrus added. "Yeah. You're probably right."

~~!~~  
~~!~~

**_Woo! The chapter is done!_**

**_I apologize for the lengthy time it took me to get it out. My HDD crashed, and I totally forgot to backup the chapter. So, I had to start from scratch, and deal with some other RL issue. Needless to say, this was NOT my summer. LOL._**

**_But, I am back in the game, and the chapters will continue to roll out when they are done!_**

**_See you all in Chapter 6: A Time for Dueling!_**


End file.
